Fishing lures are frequently used by fishermen to simulate different types of natural bait. Such lures are typically made from metal or plastic forming a lure body carrying one or more exposed hooks. When used under poor light conditions (e.g., at night, during overcast weather, turbid water after heavy rains), these lures are sometimes not seen by fish.
To overcome the above problem, fishing lures incorporating a light emitting source powered by a battery are known, such as the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,569 to Foellner et al. However, these lures often contain generally sophisticated flashing circuitry enabling the bulb to blink to simulate phosphorescence, increasing the cost of the lure. Further, to waterproof the bulb and circuitry, prior art lures of which I am aware generally incorporate rather complex and expensive seals.
Another problem associated with prior art fishing lures is that they are generally of a predetermined weight and therefore tend to travel at a constant depth, unless additional fishing line is paid out or the speed of line retrieval is varied (e.g., when trolling from a boat). However, when casting from shore, it is usually impractical for the fisherman to vary the depth of the lure in the aforesaid manner. Thus, depending on temperature, light and weather conditions determining the depth where fish may tend to congregate, prior art lures are often ineffective.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a fishing lure having a simple and inexpensive sealing means capable of maintaining a battery operated flasher waterproof.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fishing lure having an easily accessible compartment that can be filled with a variable number of weights to easily adjust the fishing depth of the lure.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fishing lure having easily disconnected component parts that can be converted into a storage case for the safe storage of hooks and other fishing paraphernalia.